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Off the Shelf furling headsails ??

1K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  hriehl1 
#1 ·
Earlier today I posted about implementing an Alado furler. This is about speccing a matching sail.

My boat has an exact I and 1-inch different J measurement to a Catalina 27 standard rig. So I plan to buy the Catalina 27 off-the-shelf furling headsail.

The question is do sailmakers automatically shorten the luff (compared to the same boat's hank-on) for a furling application to account for the space the furler hardware will occupy?

Is there a standard luff-length deduction? Does it matter if the furler is Alado, or Harken, or whatever?

I just want to be sure when ordering an off-the-shelf cat27 furling sail I don't get something too long after the furler is installed.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Suggest that you DONT order based on catalogue / manual etc. dimension; but, only actual dimensions .... including the dimensions of the groove in the furler. This would include sending the sailmaker a copy of the furler manufacturer's dimensioned drawing of the furler - foil. top and bottom swivel, etc. This is important if youre planning a 'full hoist' (luff) jib/genoa as such dimensionally leaves NO 'room for error'.

The problem with all the above is that in doing so the buyer of the sail accepts all responsibility for the 'measurements' - including the stretchy-ness of the luff, etc. when setting/changing/altering exactly where the point of maximum draft in the sail occurs when under varying halyard tension. Any mistake will/may cause the buyer to expend MORE $$$$ to alter/modify. Always better, to have the furler physically installed, and have the sailmaker come TO the boat and do the measuring ---- then the sailmaker is RESPONSIBLE if there are any 'dimensional mistakes'. Its a wee bit more expensive to do it this way, but ultimately less risk for the buyer.
 
#5 ·
It would seem there are a number of factors with a furler install what effect the ending max-hoist luff length, in addition to the simple dimensions of the furler drum and head swivel.

The furler drum may be raised above the deck, by necessity or desire. First to permit room for an anchor stock to pass under when using the bow roller. Secondly the owner may want the sail's foot even higher to reduce the jib's blind spot, so sailing does not require the continual checking to leeward. The Harken drum on my current boat is about 18" above the deck, the Furlex drum on my prior boat was a full 24" above.

At the mast head, you may need a halyard retainer on the mast to ensure an adequate angle for proper furling, losing another 8-10" or so.

The furler max hoist on my current about is about two feet less that the stock measurement.

My advice if buying the first furler is to hire an experienced rigger who can walk you through the choices so you start off with a system that works well, unless you have an identical sister ship and chose to duplicate an existing installation.
 
#6 ·
Sailing fool, there is no head swivel with the Alado system, which is a good thing. No need to mess with existing halyards either, so in my case I reversed it for a spare, main halyard if I, for some unknown reason, would ever possibly need one.

The other neat thing about the Alado system is that you can place the drum pretty much at any height you wish, and it took me about 45 minute to install the entire system by myself - no rigger necessary with this system. I think my 8 year old grandson could have handled he job.

All the best,

Gary :cool:
 
#7 ·
I looked at a off the shelf genoa "made" for my exact boat. I still had the measurements from the last sail that was really made for it.
The off the shelf one would NOT have worked with my furling gear without being re-cut. This was an off the shelf sail "for furling" with luff rope, leech foam etc. LOL just not my furling gear, and no idea whos!
I really have no idea how an off the shelf sail could possibly be right with the number of different setups available past and present.
You could have your rig measured then see if the sail will actually work, I'd be in contact with them directly with the dimensions and NOT rely on info from a web page.
The off the shelf sail would have been about 6" too long by my very non professional guestimate, based on an actual measurement used to build the last sail for my boat.
I'm the kind of guy who considers it a personal failure if I have to get somebody else to fix anything on my boat. I'll pay for good sails though!
 
#8 ·
This suggestion may cost you more time than you want; install the Alado per the excellent instructions that come with it, including the halyard which only carries the weight of the sail and has no wind load, then measure the actual length available at the furler track. Order your sail based on that dimension. 45 ,mins to install, 45 days to get the sail.
 
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